I sat in the back of the van, playing my guitar. I looked out the window and saw Nadya skipping across the beach, bags in hand. She looked like some sort of grocery fairy bounding barefoot through the sand. The ocean reflected the setting sun, creating a shower of gold and pink. Nadya’s long hair caught the sun’s rays and threw them around her head like a halo. She clambered in the van and threw the groceries up front. Then, she came and flopped down beside me.

“Listen to this.” I said, and played a delicate, finger-picked piece that I had come up with the night before.

She looked up at me and smiled. Then, she leaned over and kissed me.

“What was that for?” I asked.

“I love you, stupid. I don’t need a reason.” she said, still smiling.

I stared into those big, beautiful, strange eyes. They were a weird combination of green, grey, and hazel that I had loved since the day we met. They looked like the eyes of an angel.

Maybe she was my angel.

“I love you, too.”